For most of my adult life I’ve had issues with my gut and for some reason this time of year is when I face the most difficulty.The past week has been challenging for me because of a flareup of these problems. I had forgotten how it saps my energy and narrows my daily life.
But today I am feeling better and I hope to get out for a long walk somewhere.
Seasons of life
I think everyone has easy and difficult seasons and everyone faces challenges. Whether it’s physical health, mental health, money, relationships, or loss — everyone has their own unique challenges. They don’t always show and we often choose to hide them if we can. So one may think that their problems are unique.
“Never compare your insides to everyone else’s outsides.”
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One of the most courageous things I think any of us can do is to allow others to witness our struggles and challenges. In my mind the definition of personal integrity is when our inside reality matches our outside actions. It’s not weak to ask for help or to allow others to see that you are suffering.
A practice that helps me treat myself and others with compassion and acceptance is lovingkindness practice. This morning I received an email inviting me to join in a free 10-day lovingkindness practice with Sharon Salzberg. Here’s a link to join if you’re interested:10-Day Lovingkindness Challenge: Guided Meditation Practices to Help You Cultivate Love, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.
“If we learn to pay attention in a different, more open way—seeing the good within ourselves instead of just fixating on what we don’t like, noticing those we usually ignore or look right through, letting go of categories and assumptions when we relate to others—we are creating the conditions for lovingkindness and compassion to flow.”
—Sharon Salzberg
In the seasons of life, what season are you experiencing right now?
May you walk in beauty.
Note: today’s photos are backyard beauty I saw out my window this morning.
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